Chapter 2005 Strength in Numbers

Chapter 2005 Strength in Numbers

"...Who will stop me?"

This simple sentence that Nephis had spoken hid many meanings and carried plenty of weight. Although very few people knew her well enough to understand the true burden of these words, they were a proclamation of who she was — and how unyielding her will was, as well. It was her defiant challenge to the world, calling the world to come and try to stop her... if it dared. But, at the same time, there was a far more obvious meaning to what Nephs had said. First, she was hinting that Seishan and the Saints of Song had no choice but to fight her — because once Nephis entered the battle and unleashed her flames upon the Song Army, only they would be able to contend against her.

At the same time, she was also telling Seishan something else. It was that no one could prevent her from entering the battle... except for two people.

Anvil of Valor and Ki Song, the Sovereigns of humanity. By joining the battle, Nephis was going directly against their will. However, she was so powerful that no one except for the person who had given the order or his adversary could punish her for breaking it.

That would require the Sovereigns to interfere personally, though, thus escalating the battle even further and inevitably resulting in a direct clash between them — because if one of them moved, the other would not remain still.

The two Supremes, however, were not willing to fight each other just yet.

Which led to Neph's last point. It was that even if there was someone who could stop her, there was no one who would. That she could break the will of the Sovereigns with impunity, and nobody could do anything about it. ...It was a powerful message to send. But not an unwelcome one, as far as Seishan was concerned — for one simple reason.

It was that what Nephis had proposed — stop the bloodshed and decide the outcome of the battle with a clash between only the Saints of both armies — favored the Song Domain greatly. There were many more Saints in the Song Army, after all.

They had already held an advantage in that regard at the very start of the war, and their advantage only became greater after Morgan's departure and the battle at Vanishing Lake. The situation had worsened even further since then. Three expeditions had been sent into the depths of Godgrave to conquer its remaining Citadels. Revel and her First Royal Legion had gone into the darkness of the Spine Ocean, accompanied by Moonveil... while a punitive expedition had set out from the camp of the Sword Army to destroy them.

Considering how powerful the daughters of Ki Song were, that expedition numbered seven Saints. Additionally, Summer Knight was heading south with two Saints accompanying him, while the Queen of Worms had given up on conquering the Femur Citadel, thus sending no one. So, in the end...

He nodded in satisfaction.

'That's better.'

Just at that moment, a Master from the Sword Army finally recognized him.

Falling to one knee, the young man looked up with awe and terror in his trembling eyes.

"L—lord Shadow! Sir!"

Sunny stared at him silently for a few moments.

'Well... I'll be damned.'

It was his old friend — young Master Tristan of Aegis Rose. Rivalen's son.

Somehow, the fool was still alive. Sunny smiled faintly behind the mask and looked away. "Retreat. This is the King's command."

The young Master opened his eyes wide, then bowed and dashed away, shouting orders. Soon, the Sword Army started to pull back. Sunny allowed the obsidian wall to crumble into a tide of shadows — the damn thing was consuming too much essence — and watched the Song Army retreat. The stragglers were already hurrying to catch up with their retreating comrades.

The real mess was about to start.